Beast or Blessing: Stories and Images About Living with Baboons in Africa

'Beast or Blessing' is comprised of ten chapters richly illustrated with incredible photographic images that explore different aspects of the complex human/baboon relationship and the consequences of two primates living in close proximity with one another. The title covers a wide spread of anecdotal stories that have been submitted by members of the public. These personal tales have been woven together by Jenni, to provide context and meaning to each of the ten themes explored throughout the book. Collectively, these personal narratives encapsulate the joys, sorrows, frustrations and lessons learned through our interactions with the baboon troops that live perilously alongside us. The communities that live near baboons throughout South Africa make up a diverse range of people, and this translates into a wide range of responses. At the core of the title, our message is that we need to find ways to live more peacefully alongside this fascinating species, and that we need to take responsibility for our actions in order to minimize the primate/primate conflict.

"Beast or Blessing" is a wonderful collection of stories and images that will make you laugh, make you cry - but most importantly - make you think. Whether you live near to baboons, love them or hate them, "Beast or Blessing" is a light, entertaining read and the wonderful photographic images will make the reader actually see baboons in a new way.